Page 64 of Saving Grace

Chino’s rolled his eyes in my direction.

I stared him down until he looked away.

A heavy ominous feeling settled in my chest.

The wheels in my head started turning. Why in the fuck had he sent me to Michigan off all places to collect a debt that amounted to peanuts? Had he known about Grace?

The tips of my fingers slid across the cold steel of my Glock.

“She didn’t tell me anything. The guard I put on her told me she walked up on you two having words. “

Grandfather chuckled.

“Oh. Si figuri!” It’s nothing he said in Italian. Waving his hand casually.

“That was just me welcoming her to the family. I wasn’t on board at first, but AJ has grown on me. I know now they are a package deal. Prego figurati, a welcome is the least I could do.”

The thought that he hadn’t seemed surprised when I told him about Grace and AJ pushed to the forefront of my mind. He hadn’t really reacted at all. Not even to tell me what to do like usual.

“Grazie.” I thanked him. Though it was obvious he was lying. I excused myself before I lost my temper and accused him of something I couldn’t prove.

“I’ll be leaving soon, Goodnight, Son.” He said son as if reminding me of who he was, or maybe I was just being paranoid.

I knew Grace wouldn’t tell me the truth either, but I found myself making my way to her room.

The door was unlocked. I entered.

She was sitting with her back against the headboard reading. She gave me an emotionless sidelong glance before turning her attention back to her book. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her about Grandfather. But I felt exhausted.

Removing my clothes instead, I took my Glock from my pocket, then the Sig Sauer from the holster at the small of my back. I laid them next to Grace on the nightstand.

When I told Tank I trusted Grace with my life I meant it. I just didn't trust her to stick around. Now my intuition was telling me the reason for that had been under my nose all this time.

I made my way to the ensuite bathroom and showered quickly. I was too anxious to spend too much time in there. I made myself not think about anything but lying next to Grace in bed. I slid into a pair of the boxers that were stored in the bathroom closet and brushed my teeth. When I returned Grace was in the same position. I climbed into bed next to her.

Giving her my back so she wouldn’t think I was trying to have sex. That had been the only reason I had to enter her room before. Now I felt the need to just be near her.

I laid down and closed my eyes, pulling the comforter to my chest. Her turning several pages in her book broke the silence. Then she started reading “We can not change the past but we can change our attitude towards it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Her voice never wavered as she read the Maya Angelou poem we both knew by heart to me like when we were children.

Grace

Sophia had just closed the refrigerator when I entered the kitchen. Of course, she turned her arrogant nose up and her lips down at me when she realized I’d walked in. I covered the fifty square feet that separated us in blur

I came to stop in front of her.

“Why would you hang up on my son?”

She sat down her yogurt, folded her arms across her chest. Her look was smug. It pissed me off.

I didn’t even give a chance to answer, there was no excuse or reason to explain away doing it.

I reared back and swung.

Whap… my fist connected hard with the side of her head. Knocked the smugness right out of her.

“I told you to play games with Atticus, and not me.” I reminded her, before I swung second time catching her in the mouth.

She wobbled on her heeled feet, but I give her credit, she didn’t fall. Regaining her balance, she swung back. Open hand, her nails grazing my cheeks.